


Cathartic

by RubyQuinn



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Gen, Humor, Kinda, M/M, Pre-Slash, Temper Tantrums, see if you can spot Kylo unintentionally channeling his dad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-18
Updated: 2016-01-18
Packaged: 2018-05-14 16:01:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5749402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyQuinn/pseuds/RubyQuinn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hux throws a tantrum and Kylo's the one who has to deal with him.</p><p>(Based on a kinkmeme prompt)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Cathartic

**Author's Note:**

> Original prompt here: https://tfa-kink.dreamwidth.org/1082.html?thread=964410#cmt964410
> 
> (Fill also features a brief if questionable appearance from That Trooper With the Stun Baton Who Yells 'Traitor')

“Sir!”

Kylo Ren whipped around to face the intruder, a Stormtrooper, standing uneasily in his doorway. It was odd; he was used to seeing Troopers be uneasy, around him in particular, but this one was different, and he soon realized why. It wasn’t Kylo she was nervous about. 

“What is it?”

“Sorry to interrupt, Sir, but it’s just…” She seemed distracted, and kept glancing back down the hallway. Distantly, Kylo could make out raised voices from that direction. “It’s General Hux, see, he’s…” 

“ _What?_ ” Kylo gritted out, growing impatient.

“He’s kind of-” she was cut off when an alarm began to sound, red lights flashing from the hall. “.... Well, he’s rather _upset._ ”

Kylo shouldered the soldier out of the way, striding quickly to the source of commotion. What greeted him was utter chaos.

General Hux was standing in front of his usual console. And, in a show of decidedly _un_ usual behavior, was smashing it repeatedly with an activated swing baton. Nearby, a Trooper, whom he’d apparently grabbed the weapon from, was looking utterly lost, staring in wonder as the CO rained destruction upon the equipment. 

This apparently was not Hux’s first round of offense on the room at large, either; behind him, several monitors were sparking and some chairs looked to have been torn apart. And below, a dozen officers huddled to one end of the left crew pit, while the right one was slightly on fire. 

All the while, audible under the blaring siren, the General was spouting a stream of profanity Kylo Ren such as had not heard outside of an Outer Rim catina.

“General Hux.”

“-kriffing, bloody _scum_ of a nerf-herding-”

“Hux!”

He received no intelligible reply, just a howl of rage as the General raised the weapon high above his head.

Kylo acted quickly, and called on the Force to freeze the General’s movements.

“AaauUGGH!” Hux screamed. “Let go of me!”

“Leave us,” Kylo said softly, fingers twitching with controlled power. 

He didn't need to watch as the various personnel swiftly fled the room; it was more than their jobs, or lives, were worth to interrupt. Still, Kylo could already imagine the kinds of rumors that were bound to stem from Hux’s outburst. How annoying.

A soft hiss of foam told him that someone had thoughtfully stopped to put out the fire, and another officer thankfully had the intelligence to shut off the alarm before they left. The Trooper was last to go, glancing longingly back at his commandeered weapon, before finally leaving Kylo alone with the General. The door _whooshed_ closed behind him.

Hux gasped as he felt Kylo release him. He stood for a beat, before jamming the baton viciously into the center of the console with a final, electric hiss. He panted, looking back at Kylo, who cocked his helmeted head.

“Are you finished?”

Hux surveyed the damage with a huff. “Well, I’m no _Knight of Ren_ , but I suppose I can do as much damage as one, occasionally.”

Kylo stiffened. He couldn’t exactly deny his own tendency to become _destructive_ during a foul mood, but normally no one, not even Hux, would dare speak to him that way. At least no one that didn't have a death wish. He paced a half circle carefully around the other. What could have gotten him so worked up? “You surprise me, General. I never thought you’d be the type to damage equipment. In fact I remember several lectures on the subject from you, something about ‘First Order property’.”

“Don’t worry,” Hux sneered. “With you around, we have a _budget_ in place for this kind of thing. And after Starkiller _Base_ ,” he accented the word with a vicious kick to the computer, “being destroyed, what’s one more wrecked room to add to my tab, hmm?”

“You’re being childish,” Kylo assessed calmly.

The redhead made a strangled noise, and openly gaped at him in disbelief. “ _I’m_ being childish? Me? Mr. ‘I’m-Going-to-Magically- _Choke_ -Anyone-Who-Tells-Me-Something-I-Don’t-Like’, is calling _me_ childish? Well,” Hux laughed. “I’m just on a winning streak lately, aren’t I?”

Kylo stiffened. “You will _not_ speak to me that way.”

“Why’s that? Because you’re the only one around here who gets to be a _fucking_ brat?”

Immediately, Kylo reached out his hand, clenching it as he lifted the General onto his toes, the Force tightening obediently around his neck.

Hux gasped, a vicious smile playing tightly on his lips even as he clawed at an invisible hand. “ _Case in point_ ,” he ground out.

“Do not _test_ me, General,” Kylo growled dangerously, squeezing.

“Go ahead,” Hux managed, ragged. “Save Snoke the fun of finishing me off himself.”

With a jerk, Kylo released him, the roar of power vanishing as Hux gasped for air. “The Supreme Leader’s not going to kill you,” he said smoothly. “You’re still more useful to him alive.”

“I’m _sure_ ,” Hux coughed, massaging his throat. “That’s why he’s been so _pleased_ with my work lately. Ever since Starkiller, ever since-” He growled, and smashed a fist into the ruined computer, resulting in a shower of sparks.

Kylo had never seen him like this. Angry, often. Indignant, occasionally. But never this violent, this out of control, and it unnerved him. Often, their partnership was strained, and in practice, it was more of a rivalry than anything else. This, however, was something different. He felt a pull of something, an impulse to be delicate, and decided to comply. 

He pressed a button and released his helmet- a new one, since the one he lost on the Starkiller, but of the same design- and removed it. Hux looked surprised as Kylo set it down on a nearby counter, and turned look at Hux with his own eyes.

“What has happened?” he asked softly.

Hux bristled, then sighed defeatedly. He ran a hand through his ginger hair, leaving it uncharacteristically mussed. “They had a lead on him. Dameron, that Resistance pilot, the one that landed the final shots on the… on the Base. Seems he made a visit to Takodana; That castle your men destroyed is being rebuilt. Luckily we still have a few local spies.”

Kylo waited for him to continue, but Hux huffed and said nothing. He understood. “They thought they had him, but the trail went cold.”

“Yes,” Hux sighed. “We lost him.”

Silence stretched between them, and Kylo realized he should say something. He grasped for words and settled on, “That's... disappointing.”

Hux gaped, fresh outrage spreading over his features. “Disappointing?” He snapped. “Is that all you have to say?”

The Knight blinked. Perhaps this discussion, odd as it was to be having in the first place, was more out of his depths than he'd realized. “What more would you have me say? A cold lead on an old foe; disappointing, yes, but not the devastating loss you’re making it out to be. The Order has bigger problems than-”

“This isn’t just about the Order, Ren, this is personal!”

“I thought the Order was personal, to you.”

“Of course it is, but he- they- uugghh!” He punched the console once again, and Kylo noticed his gloves had ripped, bloodied knuckles showing through the fabric. “ _They blew it up!_ ” Hux shouted. His face was bright red with fury and it reminded Kylo wildly of the lightsaber at his belt. “It was my life’s work and they _fucking blew it up!_ ” 

Another vicious kick jolted the console, before Hux shuddered and leaned heavily on the sparking mess. Hux’s agitation visibly drained from him, and in its place came something dark, wavering, precarious.

And then, he sobbed.

And that. That was something Kylo recognized, something that made own his chest tighten in reflex. Desperation, anguish, fear. _Fear_ , he realized suddenly, and blurted, “Starkiller Base was not a complete loss.”

Hux took a shaky breath, and sniffed, trying to act as if he weren't speaking to the Dark Knight of Ren while his cheeks were wet with tears. He eyed Kylo suspiciously. “What do you mean ‘not a complete loss’? They blew it up. It has been completely, and utterly _lost_.”

“True. But from a certain perspective, the weapon was still successful, since we were able to use it on the Hosnian system,” Kylo found himself helpfully pointing out.

Hux’s pale brow furrowed in confusion. “Who the _kriff_ cares about the Hosnian system!?”

“ _They_ do. The Resistance, the New Republic. They saw us, and they’re afraid of what we can do.”

“Not anymore, not without Starkiller Base,” Hux said, a twinge of despair in his voice.

Before he could stop himself, Kylo reached up, cupping Hux’s jaw in his hands. The General flinched slightly, but Kylo held his gaze with dark eyes. “They know we’re still out there. The Hosnian system was merely a demonstration, true, but it worked. They know what we’re capable of, what we’re willing to do. And you built it.”

“I was only-”

“You were in charge of the operation, and you gave the order to fire the weapon. They saw it, Hux, and that’s why they came to destroy it. Don’t you see? We won their _fear_. Even as we stand here, they’re out there, fearing us. I can feel it.” And he could feel it, that deadly hum in the Force, the background noise of Darkness. He could feel it just as he could feel Hux’s warm breath on his cheeks. Blinking, realizing that he _could_ feel the latter. He cleared his throat, and continued softly, “The First Order can rebuild, and we will. They know that. That’s what gives us our power.”

Hux placed his hands on Kylo's collarbone, eyes flicking back up to Kylo’s after- where had he been looking? At his mouth? “What are you doing?” He spoke in a whisper, but there was a charge to his voice that Kylo didn't understand. 

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you talking to me?” he questioned, sounding more intrigued than suspicious. “And _touching_ me?”

Kylo swallowed and pulled away, clearing his throat. The moment was over. “It’s nothing,” he said offhandedly. He gestured to the smoldering crew pit, smirking. “It’s just interesting to see you take a page out of my book.”

Hux gave a small laugh. “It was… cathartic, I suppose.”

Suddenly, Kylo tensed as the door _whooshed_ open.

“Sir, I- oh, erm, excuse me.” A particularly nervous looking officer was standing in the open archway. She blushed, wide eyes taking in the damaged equipment, and the General’s disheveled appearance. She gasped and quickly averted her gaze when she noticed the unmasked Kylo Ren. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean t-to inter-”

“You _didn’t_ ,” Hux said quickly as Kylo turned away, making quick work of putting his helmet back in place. _’Rumors indeed.’_

Hux’s military posture returned immediately, shoulders squaring. He was firm, but not unkind, when he addressed her. “What is it, Cadette?”

To her credit, the girl made a quick recovery, and looked Hux in the eye as she made her report. “Sirs, I’m to remind you that you have a scheduled communication with the Supreme Leader in five minutes time.”

Hux paled, taking a ragged breath- it was too much, too short a time to fully regain his composure- but Kylo interjected before he could speak. “I’ll talk to him. Alone. After all, General,” he pointedly at the ruined console, still sparking lazily around the baton. “You are busy dealing with a weapons malfunction. I was at your officers’ meeting this morning, I can update him on our progress.”

Hux breathed as though relieved of a large burden. “I appreciate that. Please be sure to convey my apologies.”

Kylo gave a one-shouldered shrug as he stalked towards the door. “Of course.”

“Ren!” He turned back as he felt a hand on his elbow. It was Hux, lips twitching with a nervous smile. “Thank you for your words of… encouragement. I hadn't thought of things that way.”

“They cannot elude us forever, General. We will have our revenge.” He moved to the archway, but paused before he exiting. “And when we do capture Dameron, you can do to him what he did to your Base.” 

Kylo didn't look back as he left the room, but could sense Hux's grin even so.

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, there it is. Hope you enjoyed it :)


End file.
